Thunderbolts A Marvel Lab Presentation
by Sinister2004
Summary: This is my Thunderbolts series from Marvel Lab, a fanfiction site. Starring a TBolts team led by The Red Skull. Enjoy /fanfic/home.htm
1. Chapter 1

See, How it All Started Was…Part One

It was his voracious appetite for destruction that made Angela scared of him. Forget his all around creepy looks because she had seen her fair share of freakish appearances. Even his eerily familiar, German speech didn't really bother her, but it certainly lent credence to his nature. The man was someone who thrived off of chaos and destruction. So it was little wonder his greatest foe stood for unity and hope.

At first, she had thought that was why he had called her and the others here to his Lithuania stronghold, but as conversations tiptoed into her ears she realized it was without rhyme or reason. Even with that knowledge, Angela just happened to know that you didn't refuse an invitation from him. Snubs were one of the highest orders of insult in his frame of reference. The few that felt brave enough to do it still haven't been heard from and they probably never would be.

Shivers crawled down her back as she wondered if the same fate could befall them. She had left his employ at one point and maybe he wanted revenge. That just didn't seem likely, but you could never really tell. Erratic behavior was one of his many psychological issues. Angela just hoped that her history with him was enough to guarantee that she hadn't walked into the slaughterhouse. In the back of her mind, she hoped this was all some big joke and he wasn't even here at all. It was a pitiful thought and probably far away from the truth.

Each second waiting in the musky warehouse was agonizing. Particularly when it was occupied by insane, obnoxious entities. There were the two men dressed exactly like painfully silly clowns and the red monster insisted on licking his fingers as loud and hard and as possible. Angela wanted to send her high heel through his hand, but gathered from the red thing's muscles that it wouldn't do much good.

"Quite the crowd huh?"

The man's voice was hollowed and cracked. It seemed as if with every word he was gearing up to rip your vocal chords out with teeth. Angela didn't care to stand by him, but she was more than capable of handling herself if she had to. Though she wondered exactly what were this creature's limits.

"Only eight of us. Wouldn't exactly call that a crowd," Angela said as she fiddled with the black and red invitation sequestered in her jean pocket.

"Considering who invited us, doesn't it make you more curious?" a sultry woman with flowing black hair and a snake tiara asked. Angela knew her and the people she ran with quite well.

"Slightly, but trying to figure him out is risky business," Angela replied.

Amongst the group was a shirtless Brazilian man with the abs of a god, but Angela noted first the silly leopard pattern pants and gloves he had on. If he wasn't so good looking she might have laughed. He glanced down at his square invitation a little sheepishly and asked, "So who sent us these anyway?"

A deathly quiet fell over the warehouse. You could hear the harsh ocean wind blow outside as clear as if they were all wading in the water. It was finally broken by the laughter of one of the twins who made up the Brother's Grimm. "You really don't know do you?"

The Brazilian looked at the red skull in the center of the invitation and shrugged. "If I knew I don't think I would have asked."

"Look at the fucking obvious kid. The Red Skull called you to wine and dine."

**=T=**

One Month Later…

The yellow corvette sped down the French roadway and at its wheel was Angela Golden, better known amongst her teammates as Golddigger. Under her hands, the steering wheel felt like it was a natural extension of her body. It moved gracefully and with tremendous speed. Angela had a bit of added luck in the fact that traffic was light at the time. It was going to make her getaway easier.

Seated in the passenger seat and gripping a steel box was a very nervous Jaguar. Angela imagined that the man would leave behind a distinct sweat print once it was all over. Considering his normal bouts of unearned bravado, that made Angela smile. "Not nervous are we Luis?"

Keeping his eyes locked on the road like a traumatized child experiencing their first horror move, Luis shook his head. "Only if you decide to send us off the mountain side."

Angela laughed like someone tempting fate. "Wouldn't dream of it. If we died, he would just bring us back as Scourges. The Skull is vindictive if nothing else."

The thought of wires plugged into his body and pasty white skin made Jaguar's response simple. "Keep your eyes on the road then beautiful."

Wailing noises erupted into Angela's rearview mirror. She looked and saw five white motorcycles moving in on them fast. They were definitely the Kingpin's men. Now she wishing there had been a bit more traffic in the area. At the moment they were sitting ducks and Golddigger was anything but a moving target.

"We got company. Think its time for you to rock and roll Luis."

"That's about the best order I've heard you give all week beautiful," Jaguar said as he unbuckled his seatbelt and sat the steel box on the backseat.

Angela pressed the button to push back the corvette's roof. Cool air from the night rushed over them as the roof descended back. "You got five minutes Luis. Make them count."

Jaguar winked. "Just watch me do me."

He leapt backwards out of the corvette and spun in a circular blur through the air. As one of the motorcycles passed under him, he slammed his feet into the rider's head. There was a loud crack as Jaguar's feet crashed through the white helmet. Some impacts the device just wasn't made for and as the blow was delivered, the rider's body collapsed downward. Sparks flew in every direction when the motorcycle crashed to the ground.

By that time, Jaguar was already suing his speed to chase down his next victim. Four bikes remained, but Angel was keeping far enough ahead that they weren't a threat. Pushing himself forward, jaguar ran up alongside one of the bikers. The wailing was much louder up close and personal. Even with the air rushing over his ears, Jaguar heard the metal screaming across the pavement.

The rider glanced to his right and jumped back at the sight of a man running right next to him. Jaguar smiled and punched the rider off his bike in that moment's hesitation. The rider skidded across the road and before the bike could spin out of control, Jaguar grabbed it by one of its handles flinging it forward. The tire screeched as it was too quickly removed from the pavement and sent zipping through the air only a few feet off the ground. Jaguar's strength and flexibility was able to send the bike crashing into the back of another rider. Two bikes were intertwined together with a broken man in-between. It was the kind of sandwich nobody wanted a piece of.

Jaguar did not take the time to watch the two bikes roll off of the mountainside. There was enough metal screeching to let him know what had occurred. His focus was solely on the last two bikes and he had less than two minutes left. The last thing Angela needed was a reason to chide him. Beautiful took pleasure in making him squirm. There were a number of pleasures that Luis wanted to provide her, but his personal embarrassment was not one of them.

For his encore, Jaguar knew he would need a little more power because the two motorcycles and their prey had a good lead on him. Breaking into a full-on sprint, Luis began to dig inside of himself to unleash the full might of his abilities. The beast was caged within, but Jaguar felt the roars within himself as it sought to come ripping loose. His shoulders began to bulge outward and his muscle mass both grew and became more defined. Luis' face bulged forward and jaw deformed itself to match it. The fur of the jaguar spurted across his body and soon he was the hybrid of the animal he named himself after.

Barreling forward like an out of control stampede, Jaguar quickly caught up to the two motorcycles and since his arm span was nearly twice its length, he was able to scoop both men up by the neck. The sudden force of the attack snapped both of their necks and the vehicles grinded to a stop after many sparks were flung. Jaguar ran right through the light show, dropped the bodies like a sack of old potatoes, and caught up to Angela's corvette.

He was more than halfway back into his human form when he grabbed the door and gracefully leaped back into his seat. With a smile that was still part jaguar, he asked, "So how you like that?"

Angela threw her luscious hair into the wind and laughed. "You still missed your five minute mark."

Luis was flabbergasted. His expression was akin to Wily the Coyote seeing the Roadrunner narrowly escape a trap. "No 'effin way! I made it with time to spare!"

She of course knew this, but she wasn't going to give the cocky bastard an inch. "Keep telling yourself that babe. I'm sure the boys will believe you."

Jaguar wished he were still in his beast form. He might have decided to flip the car if he was. As Angela cut a corner, he gripped his seat tightly and said, "You know you could try to slow down. I just threw off his goons."

"Not a chance sweetheart. None of those men were harmed."

Luis tried to put two and two together. Keyword being tried. "So what is that supposed to mean?"

It Angela a minute of blank staring from Jaguar before she answered. He was good looking, but damn if he wasn't dense! "It means that Kingpin didn't trust his men to take care to not damage whatever is in that box. Which means it must be beyond valuable to Kingpin to rather see us potentially getting away with it than to just let his men destroy it and us. Something like that is not a thing I want to hold on to any longer than necessary."

"You worry too much beautiful," Luis said with a smile meant to pick up women. "We just stole from the Kingpin and got away with it. Sounds like a reason to drink to me."

Angela furled up her nose at her teammate's idiotic comment. "No wonder you didn't know who Red Skull was. Too busy grooming your own damn ego."

**=T=**

The Brazilian shrugged at the statement from one half of the Brothers Grimm, Barton Grimes. He tossed the invite to the ground and laughed. "I thought you guys were talking about someone important the way you were all looking."

The armored martial artist known as Shockwave looked Jaguar up and down. "With that half-arsed get-up I can tell that you're a stupid shit."

Angela walked into the path of the two men before any hostilities could start. "There is no need for name calling boys. We're obviously here with bigger goals than that in mind."

Luis ran his hand through his thick, black hair and asked, "And you are?"

"You'll learn my name when its time to sweetheart," Angela replied. She didn't want to give anyone in here any more information than they needed to have.

"How about I just call you beautiful?"

Angela shrugged disinterested with the Brazilian's flirting. "Whatever works for you."

Black Mamba rolled her eyes at the Jaguar's juvenile attempts at achieving sexual Olympics. She wasn't going to say anything. It would already add to a fire too big to put out. Where such men crawled from she would never understand.

That was when the lights came flickering to life in the warehouse and a booming German accent greeted them all across hidden intercoms.

"Welcome friends! Today is what I hope to be the start of a beautiful friendship."

**To Be Continued…**


	2. Chapter 2

See, How it All Started Was…Part Two

The lights came flickering to life in the warehouse and a booming German accent greeted them all across hidden intercoms.

"Welcome friends! Today is what I hope to be the start of a beautiful friendship."

Plant Man knew that was the last thing Red Skull wanted. Men like him didn't value friendship. They valued need. It was why Samuel ultimately hated humanity and bound himself to the power of The Green. Plants understand true harmony and true community. Humanity was so far removed from those concepts it was pathetic to hear them even use the words. He had to come to this place to act as humans do and see what he could gain from Red Skull and the others present. No one here was without an agenda. Unlike everyone else here, Samuel just wasn't trying to fool himself into thinking otherwise.

The people of the world simply could not be trusted. They were a plague that had brought utter chaos to the natural ebb and flow of the planet. They were like a horde of locusts except the locusts could be excused for a lack of intelligence. Humanity should have known better. Samuel awaited the day nature decided to crush them. It would be a day of exuberant celebration. In the meantime, he would make sue of their world to ensure his goals came to fruition.

Standing next to Samuel was Shockwave, who asked, "Where the hell is he at?"

Samuel's voice sounded like someone trying to talk while swishing water around his or her mouth. "You're assuming that he's even here."

The voice came again over the intercoms. "Of course I am here Mr. Smithers. Look above you."

Everyone turned their eyes upward and saw Red Skull floating down from the roof. Shockwave stared at the man's glowing blue boots and surmised that was how he was giving off the appearance of flight. Sneed wanted to know where the tech came from and how he could incorporate it into his suit. Flight was a useful ability to possess once it was mastered. Sneed doubted that The Red Skull mastered it. Men like him just liked to make grand entrances. They let others do the grunt work.

Plant Man went into a motionless posture when he saw The Red Skull descending downward. The human had called him his lesser name. It was an insult of the highest order for Samuel. He allowed the human world to address him as many things, but Samuel Smithers was not one of them. It was old and weak.

Proto-Goblin snickered from behind Samuel. "Mr. Smithers. Gotta love the Simpsons."

Twisting his head back without moving his body, Plant Man said, "Watch yourself monster."

That touched a cord with Van Adder. "Monster! You need to take a look in the fucking mirror you green fuck!"

The Red Skull touched the ground next to Proto-Goblin and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Men. Men. Please let's all try to be civil. Especially if we're going to be working together."

Golddigger was the only one brave enough to step forward and ask, "Working together how?"

It was as if when Red Skull smiled the whole room dropped ten degrees. "Have you all heard of The Thunderbolts?"

**=X=**

**One Month Later….**

Shockwave was a good distance from the private jet with Black Mamba by his side. He was looking down the runway with his arms folded across his chest and his foot tapping furiously. "Where are they? Them two make me doubt this Thunderbolts debacle with every passing day."

"Golddigger knows what she's doing. She'll be here," Black Mamba said. "If not that's why we're here."

Being the extraction group didn't sit well with Shockwave, but The Red Skull insisted his plan be followed to the letter. He just wasn't the sort of man you blatantly disobeyed. Still, Kingpin wasn't exactly someone you stole from either. Shockwave knew there was going to be consequences for that, but the Thunderbolts had already taken the plunge down into the rabbit hole. He was going to have to see how far the hold would take him. Sneed just wasn't so sure of the company he had with him. They made the plunge crowded and not enjoyable.

"Angela is fine when she's on he own, but with Jaguar she's impulsive and reckless."

Black Mamba smiled at Shockwave's assessment. "They do have a bit of a thing for each other don't they?"

Sneed didn't see the joke. For The Red Skull's plans to be successful they required a comprehension of what was being dealt with. The Kingpin was the undisputed master of New York's criminal underworld and stealing from him required a full understanding of the consequences involved. Joking around and being flirty did not suggest that understanding. When he was apart of MI-6 the sort of behavior exhibited by Golddigger and Jaguar would have been reprimanded.

"You're thinking too hard Sneed," Black Mamba said. "They'll be here. You need to start trusting us."

"If we get through this then I'll think about it," Shockwave said as he felt his rabbit hole get smaller.

Black Mamba heard the car before she saw it and jabbed Shockwave in the side playfully. "Ready to start trusting?"

"Maybe. We'll see if we actually succeeded when they get here," Shockwave replied. Just because the car was coming back didn't mean the goods were. And failing would ear them the wrath of The Red Skull and Kingpin. Sneed was trying to formulate plans to vanish underground in such an eventuality. Those were two people who he did not want to be on the shit list of.

He and Black Mamba watched Angela's car screech across the runway and come to a stop only feet away from them. Golddigger pushed open her car door and stepped out of the car with the steel box in her hands. Jaguar came out of the other side with a smug grin. He looked over to Black Mamba and winked.

"One package sealed and delivered."

"Finally, we might get a day without The Red Skull losing it," Black Mamba said. It had become an almost daily habit for The Red Skull to yell uncontrollably at one of them. Something had him anxious and they all figured it streamed from this mission.

Golddigger walked past Black Mamba and said, "We need to move. Kingpin probably has more people on the way."

Jaguar moved past Black Mamba as well and said, "Don't worry. I'll just kick their asses too."

Black Mamba rolled her eyes at the chauvinistic bravado and turned to walk across the runway to board the plane. "C'mon Shockwave. Lets get out of here."

"This had all better be worth it. I don't like being put in the line of fire for no reason."

Black Mamba knew one thing for certain. The Red Skull always had a reason. Even if it was no reason at all.

**=X=**

**New York**

One of the largest and most dangerous fists in New York slammed down on its desk shaking a cup full of pens and displacing papers. The desk was use to the abuse after years of being pounded, slapped and tossed around. It knew that the fist was probably just the beginning of a string of abuse today. Wilson Fisk was not a kind master.

Standing in front of the desk was a tall Italian man with a suit as expensive as his black moustache was thick. The same couldn't be said for the man's hair because it was thinning in at least three different places. The Kingpin hated to look at it and wished the man would take his advice to simply go bald. It was pathetic to watch a man desperately try to hold on to his youth.

"So what became of it?" Kingpin asked already knowing the answer. People only felt the need to see him face-to-face when failure was a factor. That was the hardest part about being a king. Everyone beneath you was less worthy and capable than yourself. Being a leader meant depending on people not as great as you.

The man seemed to have trembled before he responded. His hands were clutched tight in front of him. "Two came and stole it. I sent men in pursuit according to your protocols."

Kingpin rubbed one of his large fingers against his ear and said, "I hope you are not blaming MY protocols."

Looking as if a death sentence had just been passed on him, the man quivered and said, "No sir. Not at all. I would never suggest that—

Kingpin held up a hand for silence. "I accept that failure occurs with lesser men so I pardon you this once. But what was stolen from me will be retrieved. I'm sending two of my agents to assist you. Don't fail me again."

Nervous sweat glistened off of the balding man's head. "No sir. It won't happen again."

"I don't suspect it will. Otherwise I'll be charging your family for a tombstone," Kingpin said motioning with his hands for the man to leave his office. He acted as if he was shooing away a rat.

Kingpin was more than sure that the man would have to be killed at some point. He had too much fear. Fear made for loose lips and such behavior simply could not be promoted in his organization. For the time being, the man would be allowed to wear out his usefulness. Kingpin wanted to see if there was anything else he could squeeze out of the lackey. The resources might as well be used. Kingpin saw little point in allowing things to go to waste. People were like logs of wood thrown into the fire. Some would burn longer than others.

There were two logs that Kingpin wished he could get his hands on. Evidently they had a desire for their turn in the fire to be a short one by crossing him. They were fools and he would make them pay the fee that all fools paid. As he leaned back in his chair to immerse himself in that thought, the cell phone centered in his left chest pocket began to buzz.

Without looking at the number, Fisk opened the cell phone and said, "This had better be good."

A feminine voice replied, "Oh I assure you that it is good sir."

The Kingpin snarled. "Who is this?"

"Sunset Bain and I think we may have a mutual enemy."

**=X=**

**One Month Ago…**

Jaguar moved first to answer The Red Skull's question. "Wasn't that Zemo's group? The crooks trying to be heroes?"

"As if that would ever work," Golddigger said. When she had heard about Zemo's little plan she could hardly believe the sheer amount of arrogance that went behind it. The do-gooders were all starry-eyed for a reason. Everyone here was realists and operated under a different set of rules. Zemo really thought he could change the wiring in a person. It was stupidity and arrogance at its finest.

For all The Red Skull's faults, at least Angela could appreciate his realism. He didn't try to sugar coat anything with you. Unless of course you were a cog in a plan and then he would feed you any line of bullshit he had to. In that regard, Angela was thankful for having a few more positive experiences with him than others. She would never reveal it anyone here, but she had helped The Red Skull train his Scourges.

It was a secret she had kept to herself for quite some time. Amongst the criminal community, the name of Scourge was one regarded with both fear and hate. The various Scourge incarnations had killed many without any real rhyme or reason. If it was known she had helped in training the bastards then she didn't see herself lasting a month.

"My dear Angela is correct," The Red Skull said. "The Thunderbolts idea as seen under Zemo was a failure. But I wish to revive it with a new approach. We won't deny who we are. We won't try to pretend to be anything but what we were intended to be. The new Thunderbolts will rise up as a force to bring the powers that be to their knees."

Barton Grimes of the Brother's Grimm raised his hand and said, "Only one question. When do we start?"

The Red Skull smiled. "In a month. So who's in?"

NEXT ISSUE: Who is the Kingpin sending after the Thunderbolts and just what role does Sunset Bain play in this?

Author's Notes

_I know the issues are a bit short, but bear with me. It's an experiment I'm trying to do. We are all heavy readers I'm sure and our time is limited. I'm trying to make THUNDERBOLTS a title that you know you can get a quick, enjoyable read from. You won't have to worry about being confronted by a novel when you see my title has released a new issue. I'm trying to harken back to an older form of serial writing that is quick, fun, and painless._


	3. Chapter 3

See, How it All Started Was…Part Three13 Weeks Ago…

"Someone tried to kill me," The Red Skull said as he stood on his guest's balcony and looked out into the Parisian night. He had always detested the city for its cowardly citizenry, but it was hard to deny the place's beauty.

"And what does that have to do with me?" Black Mamba asked as she walked up behind the man with two glasses of wine. She handed one of the glasses to The Red Skull almost wishing she had put arsenic in the bastard's drink. Common sense advised her against such an action.

The Red Skull was a powerful man and he couldn't have walked into her abode unprepared. For all she knew, she could be looking at some elaborate double that was there in the event she did try to employ some fatal action. Or there would be snipers waiting to put a bullet through her head. The possibilities were too many for Black Mamba to risk anything.

"I want you to help me find my attempted murderer. Whoever it was is exceedingly bold," The Red Skull said. He could see Black Mamba's skepticism. "You doubt someone would try to kill me? That is good you understand my power."

"it's not that I doubt someone would kill you. I just doubt you would need me to get revenge."

The Red Skull smiled at the woman's simplicity. "This is about more than revenge. I want to send a lasing message to the underworld. One that will make it clear that I am an undisputed power."

"And what makes you think that I want any part of this?"

"I am aware that you have a young niece sick with a rare form of bone cancer," The Red Skull said causing Black Mamba's eyes to widen in shock. "I will pay for her to get the best treatments available if you agree to work with me."

Black Mamba didn't even hesitate to give an answer. "Fine. But I want something else. My grandmother has Alzheimer's—

"Done. Is there anything else?"

She knew this was the deep breath before the plunge. "No. So what's your plan?"

"Far more than I can discuss in a single conversation, but you will discover all the pieces in time my dear," The Red skull said satisfied with having nabbed the woman. Family sentiment was such a useful tool in manipulations. It was why he had come to her first. Convincing the others would take a bit more work.

"Give me something to work with. You must have some idea who tried to take you out."

He thundered down with an angry glare. "Of course I have an idea! Do you take me for a fool? All my evidence thus far points to The Kingpin being behind it."

"But you're not sure," Black Mamba surmised. If he were sure he would have already made a move. A man with The Red Skull's ego did not wait to return insults. As it stood, he seemed to only have a good idea.

"No and while striking at The Kingpin for past grievances would be enjoyable, I want to be sure I attack exactly who was responsible."

"And I'm supposed to help you find out who?"

"Among other things. As I've said, my plans are far reaching. Over the years a number of people have risen up that could stand to oppose me. I simply won't stand for it any longer."

Black Mamba was chilled. "Sounds like a war."

11 Weeks Ago…

Sunset Bain hit the speakerphone and said to her secretary, "You can send them in."

Only moments after giving the order, a man and woman stepped into the room. The woman was wearing a lime green shirt, black slacks, and stilettos that had to be doing murder on her calves. Her hands were pushed deeply into her pockets and her stare was full of caution. The man was dressed in a brown trench coat with a matching fedora.

He tipped the hat to Sunset and said, "Ms. Bain thank you for seeing us on such short notice."

"Who can turn down a call from The Red Skull? Please have a seat and make yourselves comfortable."

Following Bain's direction, the two sat down in front of her. Black Mamba kept her icy stare in contrast to the diplomatic tone of her employer. "Your hospitality is much appreciated Ms. Bain."

Sunset leaned back in her chair with a smile that screamed, "I don't buy your bullshit". Black Mamba almost wanted to join in with the expression, but kept it at bay. This would put The Red Skull at 0-4 if he didn't succeed here. Last thing she needed was for him to catch her laughing at his expense. A man like The Red Skull could only take rejection so many times before he snapped.

"So I assume you're here about your little crusade against The Kingpin?" Sunset asked to both The Red Skull and Black Mamba's surprise. "I have ears in places you might not think. Tyger Tyger told me about your little scheme."

"Has The Kingpin not been a problem for all of us? I would think you wouldn't have an issue with it."

Sunset considered his words for a moment. There was some truth in them, but there was an even greater truth. "As bad as the Kingpin can be he's not a psychotic egomaniac. Anyone throwing in their lot with you is a fool!"

Black Mamba felt the slap come clear across her face. Maybe what Sunset didn't realize was that this "egomaniac" was more than capable of taking all of them down. He had the will and when provoked The Red Skull was truly a scary thing. It was better to be a The Devil's right hand than in the monster's path. A lesson she had a feeling Sunset would learn too late.

"I was hoping you could be reasoned with Ms. Bain. I see that I was wrong. Good day," The Red Skull said. He rose up from his seat and tipped his hate to Sunset. "I do believe we shall be seeing each other again."

Sunset's face curled up into practically a snarl. "Kindly find your way out of my fucking office you freak."

The Red Skull's eyes quickly flashed hate, but he buried it back in his mind. He tipped his hat again and walked out of the office with Black Mamba in tow. When he was gone, Sunset let out a long sigh. The bastard was serious about going to war with The Kingpin. She knew that whether she wanted to be involved or not, that she was going to have to pick a side.

Now (New York City)

Fisk angrily opened his cell phone and said, "This had better be good."

A feminine voice replied, "Oh I assure you that it is good sir."

The Kingpin snarled. "Who is this?"

"Sunset Bain and I think we may have a mutual enemy."

Kingpin was curious about this Sunset Bain even in the midst of his crisis. He had dealt with her and her surrogates from time to time in various weapons deals, but never in such a direct manner. Why now and what mutual enemy was she talking about?

"I strongly suggest you start talking Ms. Bain. What enemy?"

"So it would appear that I was right. You don't know that The Red Skull is gunning for you."

"That rodent is so far beneath my attention–

"That his agents managed to steal something valuable from you."

Fisk was boiling because what Sunset said was true. Funny how the truth was always the most upsetting. "If The Red Skull is behind this I will handle him."

"Are you ready to handle him? Do you even have any idea what he ahs set up against you?"

The Kingpin laughed like a royal looking down at a peasant. "My darling, I am more than capable of discerning my enemies' capabilities. Your assistance is far from needed."

"Maybe not now, but you will be knocking on my door one day. Of that I'm almost sure," Sunset Bain said as she delivered Fisk the dial tone.

Leaning back in his chair, The Kingpin folded his arms across his stomach. "That bastard thinks to challenge me. I'll grind him to dust."

The Red Skull was a war relic trying to find some purpose in the world. Fisk was relevant so it only made sense for The Red Skull to strike at him. The old always found a way to attack the young. It was simply survival instinct kicking in, but The Kingpin intended to show why evolution favored those in their prime.

Then it hit him. He had been so angry at The Red Skull revelation that he had failed to notice one very important thing. How the hell did Sunset Bain learn something was stolen from him? Suddenly the woman seemed far more important.

Leaning forward he pressed a button on his office phone and said, "Bring me Firefist. Now!"

**Now (Tokyo)**

"Why didn't you tell how about The Butcher?"

Sunset Bain slammed down the red phone that was sitting next to her jar of pens. The slam was enough to rattle them. "Because as far as I'm concerned he's a useless sack of meat! He talked to me like I was some schoolyard child."

"This is The Kingpin. Did you really think he earned his position by not having an ego the size of France?"

Sunset turned in her chair to face the man standing behind her. "I don't care what his position is. No one talks to me like that! The Red Skull can gut him for all I care."

"I had thought you to be a lady of intelligence Ms. Bain. If The Red Skull kills Kingpin do you really think it'll be long before he figures out you tipped him off? Then what?"

Sunset's face tightened. "Are we not enough to stand against him?"

"If you had asked me that a year ago I would have said yes, but I haven't had time to fully assemble new forces under me yet. And the people you have aren't enough to match his."

"Fine we help The Kingpin to buy ourselves some time. I'll tell the sonuvabitch about The Butcher."

"I always knew you were a reasonable woman Ms. Bain. So are we still on for dinner tonight?"

"Of course Baron. Who could turn down such a lovely invite?" Sunset asked as her company reached down and kissed her hand.

The men of the Zemo family were always charmers.

**Now (Italy)**

Dominic had worked for The Kingpin for eleven years and had seen his fair share of weird shit in that time. It was why he started smoking and was damn near on the verge of being an alcoholic, but at least he still had his skin. Too many people he had worked with were six feet under, but The Kingpin took damn good care of all their families. As much as people tried to paint him as scum, The Kingpin was probably a better employer than half of corporate America.

Still, he dealt with weird people on occasion so he dealt with weird shit. Right now he was standing guard outside of Vanessa Fisk's compound looking at a bunch of girls garbed in red hoods carrying straw baskets approach him. It looked like a bunch of fairy tale groupies.

Pressing his earpiece, Dominic said to the rest of his fellow security guards, "I think we may have a problem down here."

"You better not be bullshitting again Dom. The last time wasn't funny."

"Nope. No bullshit. Just a bunch of little girls."

"Wha? What are you talking about?"

"Just get over here and fucking find out. Something weird is going down."

Dominic was just hoping that luck was on his side and he got to make it through this crazy occurrence too. He wasn't too sure if his kids would be proud of their Dad getting stomped out by a bunch of little girls.

Next Issue: Who is Firefist? See the fate of Vanessa Fisk and how it plays into The Red Skull's master plan. Not to mention a play date with none other than Baron Zemo.

_AUTHOR'S NOTES  
_

_Sorry its been so long since the last issue dropped. I had got caught up with stuff and wasn't able to get it out as fast as I wanted, but no worries. All my writing this month is going to be dedicated to Thunderbolts so you should see a lot of the title in the coming months if all goes according to plan._

_I know I promised some Brothers Grimm this issue and I apologize for not delivering, but as you can tell with the last scene they will definitely be in the mix next issue. _

_Thanks guys for being patient with me and please keep reading. I really do enjoy all of your comments and suggestions. _


	4. Chapter 4

See, How it All Started was…Part Four

Dominic wasn't sure exactly what he was looking at, but he knew the shit was creepy. Dozens of girls who looked like they walked straight out of "Little Red Riding Hood" were coming at him. They were all skipping and singing in unison reminded the hired thug of those creepy little kids who ate corn. Nervously, he yanked out his pistol and was ready to open fire. Part of him hesitated because he could be putting Ms. Fisk at risk. A dozen dead girls on the street wouldn't exactly help in keeping Ms. Fisk's compound a secret. Still, the girls were creepy.

"Aww fuck it!"

Bullets went flying through the air like hot raindrops and cut through the bodies of the young girls. The ones that weren't shot continued to skip and sing as if nothing had happened to their sisters. Under any other circumstances the singing might have been cute, but all Dominic could think about now was marching zombies.

"Skip dee loo! Skip dee la!"

Dominic tried to keep shooting, but he had wasted every bullet he had. By that time, his follow guards had arrived and saw the damage he had caused. One in particular gawked at the destruction his partner had caused. "What the hell?! Man you can't go blowing away kids!"

Pointing a trembling finger, Dominic said, "Those aren't kids!"

The baskets of the girls began to crack open and impossibly, wolves the size of bears began to spring out from them. The animals snarled horrifically at The Kingpin's men. Their teeth were dripping and shining with the hunger for the kill. Dominic was really starting to wish that he had more bullets. He had a feeling the weird shit was starting to finally catch up to him.

"Shoot em!" Dominic's partner yelled as he opened fire on the charging wolves. "Shoot the fuckers!"

Bullets rained down on the charging wolves to little effect. Sure enough the metal weapons tore through flesh and blood, but it wasn't enough to halt the animals. One by one they pounced on The Kingpin's guards. Their jaws snapped around the security guard's faces and bodies. High-pitched death cries came up from the men as they were tore to bits by the impossibly seized wolves. Dominic was one of the last pounced by the monsters. His last thought was that at least this would look better than getting stomped out by a bunch of little girls.

As the wolves feasted on The Kingpin's men, Plant Man moved through the carnage. He held no pity for these men. They were disgusting flesh and deserved far worse than being gobbled up by conjured fairy tales. How many trees had they killed through their useless paper? How much grass had they burned? Such monsters did not deserve the life that had been granted to them by Mother Earth. Let them be ripped asunder and their ruins replenish their mother. It was proper justice.

Plant Man! Are you in the compound? Report!

He hated having the fleshbag technology in his ear, but it was necessary. All of this had to be done if Plant Man was going to bring his own plans to fruition. I'm in.

Good. We need to disable all the security systems.

Plant Man grumbled to himself. It will be done.

He slinked through the wolves and moved to the security gate where Dominic had been standing watch. Plant Man pressed a hand to the gate and vines began to expand from his fingers. The vines grew and wrapped around the bars of the gate like a smothering monster. The plant life grew thicker and tightened its grip until the metal bars bent and creaked under their weight. Plant Man groaned, pulled his hand back and ripped the gate from its hinges.

The gate has been destroyed. Send in the second wave.

As The Plant Man relinquished his grip on the gate, dozens of tiny fairies flew above his head. Part of him wondered just how dignified of an attack this was. First it was The Little Red Riding Hood swarm and now it was the Tinkerbell fest. Despite the ultimate silliness of The Brothers Grimm powers it was being proven today that they could be deadly.

Of course it didn't hurt matters that The Red Skull had provided them with a power boost.

Three Weeks Ago… The Himalayas

The Red Skull was at the front as they traversed up the mountain. He was enjoying the solid cloud ride given to him by The Brothers Grimm far too much. For the first time, the newly dubbed Thunderbolts saw The Red Skull smiling and didn't think he was up to something. It was a surprise that was almost too much to handle for some of them. Golddigger in particular couldn't wrap her mind around it.

Riding on a solid cloud next to her was Jaguar, who said, "Could it be? Is that bastard actually happy?"

"It looks like it, but I doubt it. Happy and The Red Skull are like trying to put Twilight and good writing in the same sentence."

Jaguar's face frowned up. "Didn't even know you read that?"

Plant Man heard the conversation from in front of them and jumped in. "It is useless fleshbag drivel that innocent trees were killed for. The idea of it is simply atrocious. You humans not only fantasize about biting each other, but about being sexually involved with something that sees you as food. Fleshbags never cease to amaze me."

Golddigger shrugged. "What he said."

After that Plant Man kept his eyes straight ahead as the clouds of The Brothers Grimm took them higher and higher up. Being so far away from the Mother Earth was beginning to make him antsy, but he wouldn't let the fleshbags see it. He was their superior and he had every intention of constantly reminding them of it. As The Green's avatar he had to make the animals of the world understand that their existence rose and fell with the strength of The Green.

Plant Man remained silent after his string of commentary, but Golddigger could tell that there was so much more that he wanted to say. Smithers was as fanatical as The Red Skull and Angela feared the day when he actually got resources that could match up to their leader's. He was someone that she was going to have to keep an eye on. If eh got too far ahead in the game then she was going to have to cut his playing time short. A thing like him could not be allowed to come to power.

Seeing she was deep in thought and her eyes were focused on Smithers, Jaguar said, "Don't set him on fire with your eyes!"

"I don't trust him Luis. He hates every last one of us," Angela said thinking on the numerous ways someone like Plant Man could kill them.

"This is a team of criminals. How many of us do you think really can be trusted?"

"I trust you Luis."

Jaguar tied his best to not appear too happy at the comment, but on the inside he was grinning across the board. "Well, if it counts for anything I trust you too. Probably the only one."

"You can add Tanya to the list, but that's about it."

Luis heard that, but wasn't sure that he could agree with it. Black Mamba was hiding something. He didn't have a clue what it was, but just the fact she had something to hide gave him reason to pause. People with things to hide were easily manipulated and twisted into doing acts they normally wouldn't. If everything about her was true then there was no way she should have been on a team like this in the first place. So what had twisted her?

Plant Man had heard the entire exchange between Jaguar and Golddigger knowing that he was meant to hear it. The fleshbag woman was trying send him a threat because she was afraid of him. Good. All fleshbags should be trembling at his presence. He was the right hand of The Green and would one day bring righteous judgment down upon its abusers. The woman's threat would be remembered when that day finally came. How could a fragile human ever hope to destroy one such as him?

"Take us there!" The Red Skull said to Percy Grimes as he pointed to a ledge ironically hidden by clouds.

The Brothers Grimm guided their solid cloud creations to the ledge whereupon all of The Thunderbolts jumped off of the m and onto the rock. The clouds dissipated at the mental command of the two brothers. Barton was the first to voice the question they all had been wondering.

"Ok so we're here. Are you going to tell us why?"

"You and your brother are an important part of my plan against The Kingpin so I need you at your best."

Barton huffed. "By dragging us to Nepal?"

The Red Skull's next words were short and pointed. "I was not finished."

Shockwave was itching for Barton to say something back in response. Maybe The Red Skull would slap the piss of out him like the cocky bastard had coming. That would make this useless trip worth the ride. Sneed wasn't even sure why The Red Skull gave the bumbling idiots any position of importance in his plans anyway. They were a complete waste of space as far as Sneed was concerned.

Well aware of Sneed's dislike for Barton, Black Mamba said, "Bet you're just grinning under that mask."

"Of course," Sneed said trying not to look down into Tanya's cleavage. "Not like he doesn't have it coming."

The Red Skull looked in the direction of the two and asked, "Does anyone wish to listen to me today? Or should I start pushing people off the nearest cliff?"

"No sir. Feel free to continue," Shockwave said.

"As I was saying, I need The Brothers Grimm at their maximum potential for my plans to work. In this cave is the means for that to come to fruition."

Angela wanted to scream. Why did The Red skull rag all of them up here? Having The Brothers Grimm at his side should have enough even if they were a bit off in the head. She knew better than to ask any W-questions when it came to The Red Skull, but she was going to be pissed if they were just going for a cave scavenger hunt. Looking at Black Mamba she could tell that she was having similar thoughts.

"Inside that cave is a gem that will help enhance the powers of The Brothers Grimm, but I don't know its exact location so that is why you are all here. We must find this gem at all costs. I will not have The Brothers Grimm diminished when I attack Kingpin!"

With her fears confirmed, Angela was now pissed. Luis saw it written all over her face and laughed. "Doesn't sound like it'll be that bad. We just have to find some pretty rock and call it a day."

"Something Barton and Percy could have done on their own."

"How? With a legion of gingerbread men?"

Angela laughed. "You're an idiot. Hope you know that."

"If by idiot you mean incredibly sexy then I agree."

**Now (New York)**

Firefist wasn't The Kingpin's sexiest or flashiest assassin, but he knew how to get the job done. Right now that was exactly what Fisk needed and none of his men had been able to provide it. The crime lord hoped that was beginning to change. He had already lost something quite valuable to him.

"What exactly was in the box?" Firefist asked like he was talking to regular person and not the undisputed master of New York's underworld. That had always been a problem for him. He wasn't well versed in social etiquette, but The Kingpin forgave it. The behavior was a result of upbringing and not disrespect.

"Vials containing the dead cells of Captain America when his bloodstream was laced with a drug I use to deal. For quite some time I have been trying to synthesize an enhanced version of The Super Soldier Serum."

Firefist nodded. "American ingenuity at its finest. You are a patriot of the highest order sir."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but now do you understand why I need the box back?"

"Of course I do. I would have retrieved it regardless. Nazi scum like The Red Skull have no business delving into American affairs. I'll burn him alive!"

The Kingpin appreciated Firefist's enthusiasm even if it bordered on zealotry, but there was one thing he needed to understand. "The Red Skull is not to be underestimated. He is ruthless and cunning. I also have no clear understanding of who he has in his employ so I'm bringing in help for you."

"Are they good Americans?"

"I vouch for them."

"Then who are they?"

"A group called Heavy Mettle."

NEXT ISSUE: A kidnapping is in progress! Author's Notes

_For those continuity buffs out there you can see that "The Streets of Poison" story has made its way into this title. Thanks to Morgan for pointing me to it. So it will definitely play into this Kingpin/Red Skull conflict. _

_And to those looking for Brothers Grimm action, I hoped this issue helped some. _


End file.
